Chasing Shadows
by boombamfirepower
Summary: SHIELD fell, Ward has disappeared, and HYDRA runs rampant. Desperate for help, Phil Coulson calls one of the few people he can still trust...the Calvary. AU of season 2 where May never came back after 1x19. Rated T for possible language. Some Phillinda
1. Beginning Regrets

A/N: Hey guys!

For those of you who follow my one-shot series, you've already seen a sneak peek of this story. However, if you haven't, no worries.

This is an AU where May never came back after 1x19.

I'm still not sure how this is gonna go, so bear with me. My writing schedule is crazy so have patience.

I don't own anything (otherwise I wouldn't have to pay off student loans). Enjoy!

OoOoOoO

 _Five Months Ago_

"STUPID STUPID STUPID. AND CRUEL. AND VERY STUPID."

"I think you've made your point." Fury held up a hand, trying to get Phil to calm down so he could explain.

"Why bring me back in the first place? Clearly I didn't think it was the best idea!" Coulson's voice rose just a bit higher. "I warned you about people _losing_ their minds."

"Why do you think I asked May to keep an eye on you?" Fury replied, sitting forward, folding his hands in front of him. Her name sent a knife of guilt through Phil's heart.

"I sent her a-"

"I know, Phil." He interrupted quietly. Fury shook his head and leaned back. "She called Hill and Hill told me. What are you doing, sending a woman like that away, Phil?" Fury shook his head.

"Is she ok?" Phil questioned. The internal war that had thrived within him the last few days reignited.

"Yes." Fury stood from his seat, looking antsy. "We got her somewhere safe. But you need to mend that bridge yourself."

"I know, sir."

"Sir?" Fury looked at him with one raised eyebrow. "Don't call me sir. I'm not the director anymore."

"But what-"

"You are."

Phil froze at his words, not sure if he heard the man correctly. He was what?

"Look, Coulson," Fury continued, "you know how few people I trust. SHIELD is in shambles. It's broken." He sighed. "You're one of the few people I trust to put it back together again."

Phil was speechless. A mixture of gratitude and anxiety and a little bit of fear filled his chest. He stood there, wide eyed, not saying anything for a moment as Fury reached into his jacket.

"This tool box should get you started." Fury took his hand and placed the box into his palm. "I brought you back because I saw something in you, Phil. SHIELD isn't about the science or the policy. It's about the _people._ And you know people better than anyone."

"Go slow."

Phil nodded haltingly, marveling at the little cube.

"And remember," he lowered his sunglasses, gaze directed at Culson,"I'll be watching." He made to leave the room, but halted. "Oh, and for god sakes, call Melinda."

And then he was gone, leaving Phil's office in blanket of silence.

Coulson smiled, but dread filled his chest when he sat at his desk.

" _You want orders to follow? Follow mine. Or find somewhere else to be."_

He had been harsh, and cold. And sure, he was still angry, but he missed her presence. He felt unsteady without his shadow, unbalanced without his right hand. He knew he should call her, try to get her back, but he was still hurting.

He guessed she probably was too.

OoOoOoO

 _Five Months Later (during 2x1)_

Skye jabbed _hard_ at the punching bag. Then again. Then again.

Beads of sweat pooled on her forehead. A trickle of it rolled down her spine. Despite the shaking of her muscles and the ache in her feet, she kept going.

 _Left. Right._

"Skye," Tripp entered the weight room, "you're gonna tire yourself out if you keep going like that." He put his hands on his hips and raised his eyebrow. "Take a breather."

Skye paused, breaths coming in huffs, before deciding he was right. She pulled away from the bag and began undoing the wraps on her hands.

"Any word about the material from our mystery assassin?" She asked, grabbing her water.

He shook his head. "I don't know if the lab will have anything anytime soon." He replied with a shrug.

She nodded, felt the familiar sinking feeling in her chest. Fitz had been through a lot, but with Jemma gone...he wasn't able to help as much.

Through no fault of his own, of course.

Skye cursed herself mentally for letting Ward get away like that.

" _Shes not gonna kill you. She had the chance to kill me before and she couldn't do it. And she hates me….a lot."_

 _She should have known Garrett would send in Ward. Gun raised, dark gaze fixed on her, she felt a quicker of fear run through her bones. But she also felt anger, and betrayal, and irritation. She tried to let that show through, masking the fear he could probably already see. He was good at that...seeing through people._

" _I feel sorry for you." She replied, fighting to keep her voice steady. "Betraying the only people who gave you the chance at being a decent human being. Fitz was a hero, because he still wanted to give you that chance after everything." She forced down the bile rising in her throat, the disgust showing on her face. But deep down, she really wished that she hadn't come in alone. "But some people are just born evil I guess."_

" _Yeah...maybe they are." He replied coldly, stepping forward. "I learned things Skye. History. Things you'll wanna know." Another step forward. "You and I aren't that different."_

" _Oh you're not the evil I was referring to." She replied sarcastically. Skye felt a glimmer of satisfaction at the flash of something in his eyes. "Garrett is evil. You're just….weak."_

 _She knew as soon as she said it that she had crossed a line. A flash of anger flitted across his face._

" _Doing anything you're told. I hope Garrett orders you to walk into traffic."_

" _You're right Skye. You woke up a weakness inside of me," He said, gaze softening. It caught her off guard...the genuineness of it, "and for the first time in a while, I wanted something for myself. Maybe i'll just take what I want, wake up an weakness inside you." She felt her stomach twist in disgust._

" _I'm not afraid of you Ward."_

" _You're not gonna kill us with a bomb, you'd go too."_

" _You're right." She stepped forward, letting a coy smile flash across her face. They were only a few feet apart. He lowered his gun a bit. "I don't need a bomb for that."_

 _There was a bang, a gun he hadn't seen. And now there was a bullet planted firmly in his abdomen._

" _Let's talk about incentives." she grabbed the techie and shoved him forward, leaving Ward there in a pool of his own blood._

 _When she returned, he was gone._

"Skye." Tripp dragged her back to the present. "It wasn't your fault, you know."

She didn't reply, just sent him a glare and took a sip of her water.

"Go shower. Coulson wants to talk with you." He smiled at her good naturedly.

"Really?" She replied, eyes widening. She hadn't seen him in a few weeks.

He gestured to the door, and she jogged out of the gym, leaving him behind to shake his head.

OoOoOoO

A/N: I should have probs explained this, but phrases in italics are flashbacks.

Hope you enjoyed. I'm going to try and update once a week, but we'll see how long that lasts.


	2. Desperate Times, Desperate Phone Calls

Phil watched the rain, following the tendrils of water as they snaked down the window pane. The rain was calming, the air cool. Had it been a year ago, he would have taken a nap in this weather, or curled up with a book.

His fingers tapped nervously on the window sill, drawing out patterns. Those same circles and lines were burned behind his eyelids, but he didn't dare start carving now.

It had been two weeks since his last episode. Actually, it had been fifteen days, twelve hours, and…..forty three minutes. But who was counting? Each day it was becoming harder, and each day he grew more and more antsy. He wasn't sure how long he could keep it from the others.

Speak of the devil, as a soft knock echoed on his office door. He shoved his hands in his pockets, then removed them and began unloading the briefcase on his desk.

"Come in." He called. Skye poked her head in tentatively. "Hey you."

"Hey." She sighed in relief at actually seeing him. He hugged her briefly before returning back to his case.

"How did it go?" As he spoke, he took the passports out to replace them with new ones.

"We were hoping they'd sell us tech, or at least be an ally, but it seems there's a third party involved."

"Hydra?" He raised one eyebrow.

"Think so. Whoever the assassin was...he was bulletproof." Skye shrugged. "We weren't able to get more than this." She dropped a file on his desk.

"SSR?" He marveled at the file a moment before picking it up. "I just read about this."

"About what?" Skye frowned.

"This is an 0-8-4. The first, actually." He shut the file and moved to his phone. "Keonig, cancel my flights.".

"What's going on?"

"This 0-8-4...it was in Fury's toolbox. Peggy Carter found it at the end of the Second World War. If Hydra gets their hands on this-"

"Bad things." She finished.

"Exactly. Has the lab found anything?" He moved to the door and opened it for her, gesturing for her to go first.

"Nothing yet." She replied as they walked. "But I don't know _if_ we'll get anything at all."

"Is Fitz-"

"I don't know." She interrupted. "Sometimes he seems okay and then next he's in space. We don't know how to help him."

They were nearing the lab doors, so he didn't reply. Fitz, it seemed, was thinking….deeply. He squinted through the microscope and muttered to himself as though there were someone next to him. He barely noticed when Phil and Skye entered the lab.

"How's it coming, Fitz?" Skye spoke first, softly. His jaw clenched in irritation.

"I-I don't know." He muttered, frowning down at the piece of material, which seemed to be changing shape and color as they stood there.

"Is that-" Skye frowned at what seemed like blood began seeping from under the material.

"Blood?" Fitz went wide eyed. "You see that too?"

"Yeah, we do." Phil replied.

Fitz placed his hands on his hips, seemingly relieved.

"Can you figure out whose blood?" Phil asked patiently. Fitz nodded eagerly, still looking a bit skeptical.

OoOoOoO

An hour later, they had blood results. Carl Kreel. Not only that, but they had the signed death certificate which bore none other than John Garrett's signature.

Phil found himself wanting to punch the office wall in irritation. Skye felt the same way.

How to track him down was now the question of the day. As they stood there, both glaring at the screen in frustration, silence hung in the air. Phil paced languidly through his office.

"How do we find him?" Skye murmured, shaking her head. "Without any idea how Hydra is operating, how do we find a guy like that?"

"More importantly, what do they want with the 0-8-4?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well, it's obviously powerful." She replied. "But where is it now?"

"No idea." He shrugged. "But for now, finding Carl Kreel is our priority. If we get him we can get Hydra intel from him. The only hard part is finding how they are communicating with him."

"I have a few ideas." She replied, picking up her tablet. "Give me a few hours. I'll see if I can come up with anything." She frowned at her tablet, and he noticed the sudden change in attitude.

"What?"

She put the message that had appeared on her tablet up on his screen to show him. "Airport security cameras caught _him_ at LAX not too long 's the first time we've had movement in a long time."

He had grown a beard, and he was wearing a oversized coat, but it was him.

Grant Ward.

Now they _really_ wanted to punch a wall.

OoOoOoO

It was like juggling knives.

Being Director was like juggling knives.

At any point, he could catch the blade, let one drop and have it stab him in the foot. He felt exhausted and irritable and very overwhelmed with all the knives he was currently juggling. Which is why...he needed help.

He sat in his office chair, reveling in the silence for a moment. Daisy had gone off to try and search dark web contacts for communication channels. Hartley, Idaho, and Hunter had been debriefed. For just a moment, he could relax. And yet, his hand tapped and twitched, itching to carve. He eyed the exacto knife in his desk, thought briefly about giving in, but he shook his head and pulled out his phone instead.

He flicked through the contacts before finding the one he was looking for- _Maria Hill._ He dialed it, held his breath.

"Hill's office." There was a low chatter going on in the background.

"Maria, it's Phil." There was silence on the other end for a moment. She must have put him on mute, moving to somewhere a bit quieter.

"Coulson, hey." It was just her now. "I've only got a minute. Everything alright?"

"I need your help with something." He put out there rather hesitantly. There was a pause on the other end and he could practically hear the gears turning in her head.

"Is this about May?"

"You know where she is?" He asked reluctantly.

"I do." She replied simply. "But Phil, I don't know if she's going to help you. That's a pretty burnt bridge."

"I know." He sighed into the phone, running a hand through his hair. "But I need to try."

There was a beat of silence on the other end before she huffed. "I'll see if I can make contact. Call you later."

"Thank you."

She hung up without another word, and he felt a pang of regret stab him again, like it had been for the last six months.

He had messed up. He knew that. Sending her away didn't help any of them. He was juggling knives, and he wanted so desperately for someone to come take one from him, to lighten his load. Asking May to come help was probably stupidly selfish, and he would get hell for it, he was sure.

But right now, he was too desperate to care.

OoOoOoO

A/N: Hope y'all enjoyed!


	3. Good News, Kinda

A/N: Hey guys. Apologies for the delay in posting.

I don't own anything. Enjoy!

OoOoOoO

Melinda had to admit, she didn't expect it to take so long.

Phil had always been one to forgive easily. Back in the academy, it was part of the reason she would play pranks on him frequently. Although they annoyed him to no end, he'd always give her that little smile and brush it off eventually.

But this….this was different.

Maria Hill called her as she was making lunch, or rather, reheating the previous night's dinner. She paused, fork in hand as the screen lit and her phone buzzed on the counter. Hesitantly, she picked it up and glanced at the caller I.D. _Unknown_

"Hello?"

"Melinda? It's Hill."

Of course it would be her calling from an unknown number. She was working for Stark, after all. And since the man didn't know that Coulson was alive, much less that Melinda even existed, precautionary measures had to be taken.

"I'm guessing this isn't a social call." Melinda teased lightly, moving towards the sofa.

"It's about Phil." Melinda almost dropped the phone. Hill's directness was something that still surprised her after all the years she had known the agent. But the last time she had gotten phone call like that…"He needs your help."

"Eight months. He's proven pretty independent, don't you think?" Her tone was dry, irritable. Maria could practically feel her seething through the phone. Melinda sat her food on the coffee table, suddenly not hungry.

"Melinda," Hill sighed irritably through the phone, "look, whatever feud you have with him, I don't want to get involved. He asked me to call you because he wants to meet."

"Meet?" Melinda sat up, interest piqued. "Why?"

"I don't know." Hill replied. "You in?"

Melinda frowned at the floor, gears in her brain going a million miles a minute. If he was willing to break a sixth month long grudge to call for help, something was very wrong.

"I'm in."

OoOoOoO

"I found it."

Skye came jogging into his office, holding her tablet with a gleeful smile on her face. Six hours she had been scouring every kind of communication line she could think of, until she found herself back at old SHIELD communication lines. Or, more specifically, the ones that shouldn't exist.

"Well, I found something." She shrugged. "There's this grey area between SHIELD communications. I think it may have been how Hydra was communicating from within the organization." She spat out at a million words a minute.

"Good. Any idea what they are planning?" Coulson asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"There were mentions of Glenn Talbot." She sighed.

" _General_ Glenn Talbot? Like, US government? What do they want with him?" Phil felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and moved to grab it.

"I don't know. But we need to get to them before Creel does." Her eyes narrowed as Phil frowned at the screen, and then his eyes went wide.

"Hello?"

"Coulson, you alone?" It was Hill.

"No. Hold on." He glanced up to Skye. "You mind giving me a minute"

She shrugged and turned irately away from him. He felt a pang of guilt as he saw the hurt in her eyes. Lately, with Theta Protocol as intense as it was, he had been leaving every few days and never staying long. The two of them barely had full, normal conversations.

He sighed heavily, lowering his head a bit.

May and Jemma were both gone now, leaving Skye to be both the only girl and the only original member of the team (aside from himself) who was able to go into the field. Phil could only guess how lonely the girl was. Plus, as good of a fighter as Tripp was, he was still not quite the Supervising Officer she needed.

Phil returned the phone to his ear, arms feeling like lead, and braced for bad news. "I'm alone.

"May said yes." Hill was never one to mince words. It took him a second to comprehend what she said. "I set up a meeting point and time. Luckily, you won't have to fly all over the place for this one."

"Where?" he asked, still not completely recovered.

"Virginia Beach. She's on a flight back to the East Coast now. I'll send you the address and flight details here in a second."

"Thank you, Maria." He sighed with relief into the phone, finally feeling the butterflies as they seemed to erupt from his chest.

"You're welcome. And Phil," she hesitated a moment,"Try to regain her trust, or at least make her an ally. You have very few of those right now. Bring her back into the field, consult with her. Hell, bring her onto Theta Protocol. But we need her back in some capacity."

Although her voice showed concern, there was an underlying warning. He had very few allies and many enemies, including the United States government and Hydra. Feud aside, he was desperate for help. Plus, Hill had been trained by Melinda at the academy, and the two had grown close. If he screwed this up….he'd have hell to pay.

"I will." He nodded to himself. "Thank you."

She hummed in reply and clicked off the call. He set his phone down hesitantly on the desk, and barely registered as it vibrated with her information.

To say he was nervous was a big understatement. The butterflies had turned into a swarm of bees, and circulated through him, a kind of nervous energy.

On one hand, he was thrilled to see her again. He and Melinda had been close since academy days, playing pranks, eating dinners together, sparring. Even after Bahrain, they had shared an easy friendship. Partnering was never a problem. They seemed to orbit one another, understanding the other's intentions without even speaking. She was his shadow and better-half.

On the other hand, this 'going-behind-his-back-to-Fury' thing had driven a deep wedge between them. It was mostly his stubbornness that caused the problem. She had tried to apologize, even sent him the TAHITI file, but he had dismissed her. Phil had ignored her calls, eventually kicking her from SHIELD altogether, to both Fury and Hill's disdain.

But he was desperate, and maybe he could even admit that he missed her a little bit. Her willingness to come had surprised him, but he couldn't deny that he was a little happy.

An hour later, he was changed had given his orders, and was making his way through the halls of the base towards Lola parked in the garage.

"Time to recruit the calvary." He muttered to himself.

OoOoOoO

A/N: Apologies guys and gals. I've had fam in town which means no updating. Hope you enjoyed!


	4. Beaches

Virginia Beach was quiet this time of year. Only two fishermen joined him, but they were too far down the pier to listen in. He could just barely make out them calling to one another over the dull roar of the waves.

His hands sweated and twitched, and he ran them tensely against the wooden railing. Maybe he would get splinters, but he didn't care. In all honesty, he was so nervous that his hands had gone numb.

He looked to the sky, taking a deep breath. It was overcast and breezy, drawing out the deep blues of the rolling sea.

"I'm sorry I'm late." At first, he wasn't sure he heard it at first over the wind that was picking up. Upon realizing that she was, in fact, standing a few feet away, his breath caught in his chest.

"Melinda." He said it like a breath of relief, not even fighting the smile that wanted to rise on his face. Despite the frustration and anger that had rested in him since she had left, he couldn't deny that he was _really_ happy to see her.

"Phil." She replied. "Or should I say, _Director_ Coulson." She strolled over and placed her forearms on the railing, looking out to see.

"Hill told you?" He had to force himself to remain stoic, to copy her emotionless expression. He cursed himself for not being able to _stop smiling._

"Fury called….after Garrett…." She trailed off with a sigh.

She _looked_ good, too. Not only was she stunningly beautiful in a top that matched the waves and her hair curled around her shoulders, but she looked healthy. Happy, even.

" It is really good to see you." He breathed.

"Coulson, what do you want?" She fired back, jaw clenched in irritation. She had slipped up, called him Phil, acted like there was no anger left in her. But the small talk he was forcing, the desperation on his face, only made her want to throw him over the railing to the sharks.

Her sudden change in tone caught him off guard. Reminded him why he was here, and who he was talking to. He sighed and leaned against the railing.

"I need your help finding Ward."

"Coulson-" She broke off, shaking her head in frustration and clenching her fists. "What the hell?" She turned to glare at him. "Eight months, I went without a _word._ And now you want my help?"

"Melinda-" God, he felt so stupid. And if she could see just how awful he felt on the inside…After what he had done to her…

"I should say no." She spat out. Her stoic demeanor was crumbling under the weight of eight months of pent up emotions. "I should walk away." Her voice dropped to a dangerous low, a warning that she was volatile.

"But you won't." It was not a statement or a question, but some combination of the two. Maybe even a challenge? He feared the thought of challenging her now, when she hadn't forgiven him. But at the same time he knew her and her competitive nature. He knew that the one attraction of finding Ward was besting him at something.

Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't reply.

"I need your help, May." He pleaded, watching the gears turn in her head. His fingers tapped nervously on the wood. A sweat broke out on his forehead. _Not now. Later. Not now. Please not now._

He cursed her ability to see right through him, a habit picked up during academy days, as her expression changed.

"Phil?"

"You were right." He bit out through a clenched jaw, hands tightening on the railing. He took a deep breath, fighting the rolling wave in him until the urge subsided.

"I usually am." She sighed, folding her arms across her chest. "What's going on with you?"

"GH325 had some….adverse effects." He replied. Seeing the dissatisfied look on her face, he told her. Everything. When he was done, she just turned her wide-eyed gaze back to the waves, not saying anything for a moment.

"Shit Phil." She murmured.

"Look, I get that you're mad." He said quietly. "And I'm not asking you to forgive me just yet. But you know I wouldn't ask for help if I didn't need it." He felt a raindrop hit his shoulder. Another hit the boardwalk. She shook her head and stepped away from the rail.

"Alright." She finally met his gaze. "Come on. I need to be briefed." Melinda turned on her heel and began walking, and only briefly stopped to look behind her at his confused gaze. "You coming?"

He nodded hurriedly and jogged to catch up.

OoOoOoO

A/N: Hey all. I know it's a short chapter, but as soon as I have a chance, I will upload more. Thanks for being patient with me! I own nothing


	5. Arguments

"So what's your move?"

They hadn't been at May's hotel for two minutes before she asked him that. Somehow, Melinda had managed to snag a whiteboard from one of the meeting rooms on the first floor, and she had it against the back wall in the living room of her rather-impressive suite.

He only took a moment to look around wide-eyed, before forcing his attention back to her.

"We caught Ward on a surveillance video leaving LAX." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "But we also have Hydra to watch out for, and we think they may be looking for an old general-"

"General Talbot?" She frowned incredulously. "I never pegged him as a threat."

"Neither did I." Phil replied with a shrug. "However, with Ward now back, we are stretched too thin. And since he thinks you left SHIELD…"

"I'd be perfect for following him around." She finished with a nod. It made perfect sense. She would take one villain, he'd take another. But there was a flaw in the plan that she briefly wondered if he had seen. "Ward is good, Phil." She commented softly.

"He is." _So he had seen it._ "And so are you. Besides, we have very few allies right now."

She fought the small smile creeping up on her face at the compliment. "Do you have eyes on Ward now?"

"Skye is getting to that. As soon as she has something, I'll send it over." He watched her as she moved into the kitchen to grab two glasses.

"How is she?" Her voice softened, the residual anger that was there seemed to have faded since their talk on the pier, but he knew he'd be in deep shit for a while. She poured them both whiskey and handed him his glass.

"Good." A ghost of a smile graced his face as he took the offered drink. "Tripp is her S.O."

"He's a good fighter. Smart." Coming from a Melinda May, that was a high compliment. Phil only wished he could be here to hear it himself.

She wasn't wrong, of course. Tripp was strong, skilled in hand to hand combat and crazy intelligent. He was also playful, like Skye. Sometimes they spent so much time teasing one another that their fight training lacked. Skye needed stability and a strict coach, and sometimes Phil wondered what would have happened if her S.O had been May.

Melinda noticed the change in his demeanor, and she cocked her head, waiting patiently for him to come out with it.

"Tripp's good, really good." He shrugged. "But she needs more…I don't know….discipline? If I say that, does it make her sound childish?"

"She's twenty five, Phil. She _is_ a child." Melinda scoffed and downed the rest of her drink. "But I can see what you mean."

He thought back again, back to how much it had disappointed Skye that Melinda was gone. It took her weeks to even meet Phil's eyes, much less speak to him about anything less than mission work. And with all of the work that needed to be done in the new base, the two hadn't had a proper conversation in quite a while.

"How many times do I have to apologize for letting you go?" He followed it with the last of his drink and set the glass down harshly on the counter.

Sensing it was rhetorical, Melinda said nothing for a moment, looking down at her glass. Her jaw tightened.

"I don't know if I want to come back." She said it quietly, as though she weren't quite sure how to phrase what she was trying to say. It was a side effect of Bahrain, one in which it was hard for her to express anything without coming out harsh and cold.

He looked at her, but there was no surprise there in his blues. It would be a long road of trying to get her back to his side.

"And I don't blame you." Although it tore him inside to speak the words out loud, he knew they needed to be said. "But what I said, the way I acted….I was angry and frustrated….We all were." He trailed off.

"I understand being mad about Fury, I do." She shook her head and picked up the glasses. "But I tried to make it right. I did it because I-"

"You care about me. I know." He watched her rinse out the glasses and set them on the towel next to the sink. "I-"

The beeping of his phone caught him off guard and silenced his words. He pulled out his cell and frowned briefly at the screen before clicking it off.

"I have to go."

"Everything alright?" She asked and he froze, before an idea came into his head. He wanted her to trust him again, and maybe this was a new way to do that.

He silently thanked Maria Hill before asking "Do you want to go for a drive?"

OoOoOoO

Skye's question of "Where is director Coulson?" seemed to be a common one echoing around the base, especially with eyes now on Glenn Talbot and a limited amount of time to find him.

"He's away on business." Was all Billy could tell her, which infuriated her to no end.

Upon entering his office, she found that the rest of their little team had the foresight to head there as well. With no one in charge of them, they were in chaos.

"Carl Kreel is about to do something rather serious to a United States General. _Shouldn't_ we intervene?" Idaho argued.

"Glen Talbot can probably handle himself. Plus, last I checked, he did try to imprison everybody" Hunter argued back.

"But what does he have that Carl Kreel wants? Does this have something to do with the 0-8-4 we found earlier?" Hartley looked between the two of them.

"You mean _didn't_ find?" Tripp replied from his perch on Phil's desk. "If Carl Kreel is going after the general for this _thing_ , shouldn't we try to get to it first?"

"I agree." Skye spoke up, looking to her SO. "Either way, there's a risk to the General. We have eyes on him, so why don't we go after him?"

"There's one other issue. What about Coulson? Shouldn't we wait till he gets back?" Hartley gestured around them to the man's office.

"We don't even know where he is. By the time he gets back, it could be too late." Tripp fired back, voice rising.

"So now we're going rogue? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Hunter asked incredulously, whipping around to glare at Tripp.

"SHIELD _is_ rogue. It's practically a requirement to join now a days." Hartley scoffed, crossing her arms across her chest.

"We have eyes on Glenn Talbot. I say we get to him while we have the chance." Skye stated softly.

This time, no one disagreed.

OoOoOoO

A/N: I own nothing. Dueces


End file.
